Brick-cleaning machine



S. M. FUNK.

BRICK CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED IULYZQ, 1920.

I Patentefi Aug. 11, 1922.

' INVENTOR.

SAMUEL FUNK. OF LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA.

BBIGK-GLEANING MACHINE.

L lc dfillg.

Application filed. July 29,

T 0 all 10. 10472, it may concern Be it known that I, SAMUEL 'M, FUNK, acitizen of the United States, residing at Long Beach, in the countyofLos Angeles and btate of California, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Brick-Clean ing Machines, of which the, following is aspecification.

This invention is a brick cleaning machine and has for its object theprovision of means for quickly and efliciently removing from the sidesof bricks and the like all extraneous matter, such as mortar.

The invention will be readily understood from the following descriptionof the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a side elevation of amachine constructed in accordance with theflinvention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. a

Fig. 3 is an end view of the machine.

Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 are detail sections on lines 4-4E, 5-5, 66 and 7-7of Fig. 2.

The machine consists of a frame 1; carrying a work bench 2. A slot 3extends longitudinally of the wo "kbench to receive a conveyor for thebricks to be cleaned.

The conveyor is shown as an endless link conveyor L extending the entirelength of bench 2 and received over sprocket wheels 5 journaled at therespective ends of the bench. Lugs 6 acting as fingers adapted to abutagainst the bricks for moving the same with the conveyor relative tobench 2, extend outwardly from the link conveyor.

The bricks A upon the upper flight of the endless conveyor and contactedby the respective fingers 6 for causing movement of said bricks with theconveyor, are arranged to pass between cleaning members adapted toengage opposite sides of the bricks. These cleaning members are shown asdiscs 7 arranged in spaced relation upon a shaft 8 suitably journalcd toand extending transversely of workbench 2 beneath the same. This shaftis, preferably, positioned between the upper and lower flights of theendless conveyor.

The discs 7 are adapted to be rotated by shaft 8 and are, preferably,adjustable toward one another along said shaft, so as to adapt thecleaning surfaces of the discs for engagement with opposite sides ofbricks of different width. For this purpose one of the discs is shown asfixed to shaft 8, while the other disc is keyed by means of key 9 to theSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. i, 1922.

1920. Serial No. 399,967.

shaft so that said disc will rotate with the shaft, but may be axiallyadjusted.

The means for thus adjusting this latter disc may include a collar 10forming a portion of said disc and having an annular groove 11 therein.An arm 12 is provided with a depending finger 13 arranged to engagewlthin said groove, and said arm is ad ustable relative to the workbench2 so as to adjust the disc. The adjustment for arm 12 may include alongitudinal slot 14 formed therein through which is received a setscrew 15 adapted to be threaded into the workbench. The adjacentcleaning surfaces of the discs 7 may be corrugated as shown at 17 1norder to provide an abrasive cleaning contact between the sides of thebricks passing between the discs and the discs rotated byshaft 8.

Beyond thecleaning discs 7 in the direction of movement of the bricksalong workbench 2, means are provided for turning the bricks over uponone of the cleaned sides of the bricks in order that the uncleaned pairof opposite sides of the bricks may be subsequently cleaned. For thispurpose a guide plate 20 is supported upon workbench 2 at one side ofconveyor 4 beyond the discs 7. The front end of this plate extendsupwardly alongside the bricks upon the conveyor and at its upper end iscurved inwardly over the upper edges of the bricks, as clearly shown inFig. 5. From this position the plate is gradually curved inwardly anddownwardly along its length until at its rear end it assumes theposition shown in Fig. 6. By this arrangement the upper edges of thebricks will impinge against the plate 20 as they move along workbench 2,and as a result the bricks will be turned over upon one of their cleanedsides and at the same time will be removed laterally from the conveyor 1The bricks thus removed are arranged to fall upon a second conveyorarranged to move the bricks between a second set of cleaning members.This second conveyor is shown as an endless link conveyor 21 which maybe similar to conveyor 4: and which extends alongside the conveyor 4:between plate 20 and the far end of the workbench. This conveyor maybepositioned within a suitable laterally offset portion 22 of slot 3 andmay be mounted upon sprocket wheels 23. One of said sprocket wheels is,preferably, fixed upon the shaft 5 carrying the sprocket wheel 5positioned at the far end of the Workbench and journaled to theworkbench at the opposite end of conveyor 21. The conveyor 21 isprovided with fingers 6 adapted to engage the bricks.

Cleaning discs 7, similar to those previously described, are arrangedupon a transverse shaft 8 at opposite sides of conveyor 21 with saiddiscs fixed for rotation with the shaft and axially adjustable relativeto one another by means of anarm l2 adjustably positioned as previouslyset forth.

The bricks deposited upon conveyor 21 are, preferably correctlypositioned upon said conveyor so as to present their uncleaned sides tothe cleaning surfaces of discs'7 by means of guide plates 25 positionedat opposite sides of conveyor 21 in advance of the cleaning discs 7 anddiverging inwardly toward the conveyor.

The mechanism, as thus set forth, is, preferably, driven by acountershaft 26 journaled to and extending transversely of frame 1. Thiscountershaft may be rotated through a suitable driving connection asbelt 27. The countershaft is adapted to rotate shafts 8 and 8 as bymeans of belts 28 running over suitable pulleys 29 fixed upon thecountershaft and pulleys 30 fixed upon shafts 8 and 8'. The sprocketwheels 5 and 23 fixed upon shaft 5 are also arranged to be rotated bycountershaft 26 in order to operate the endless conveyors i and 21. Forthis purpose a belt 31 may run over a pulley 32 fixed upon countershaft26 and a pulley 33 fixed upon the shaft 5. y I

It will be seenthat the construction which I have provided fforms readymeans for passing bricks between cleaning surfaces and thenautomatically turning the bricks over so as to present the uncleanedsides thereof to cleaning surfaces between which the bricks are arrangedto be subsequently passed. The mechanism is extremely simple inoperation, the only manual operation reside, and a second set ofcleaningsurfaces at opposite sides of said second conveyor beyond saidabutment element.

2. A cleaning machine including conveyors alongside of one another,cleaning surfaces at opposite sides of one of said conve ors an abutmentelement be ond said cleaning surfaces for guiding the articles to becleaned onto the second of said conveyors and turning .said articlesover upon a cleaned side, a second set of cleaning surfaces at oppositesides of said second conveyor beyond said abutment-element, and guidemeans between said abutment element and said second cleaning surfacesfor p0si tioning the articles upon said second'con veyor.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

SAMUEL M. FUNK.

